Mike Norvell failed as a recruiter and took FSU football down with him

It might be hard to believe that FSU went 13-1 under Mike Norvell less than two seasons ago. But it's easy to believe that Norvell could not capitalize on those wins with victories on the recruiting trail and those failures will be what cause his demise.

Simply put, Mike Norvell never took recruiting seriously, and he will pay for that mistake with his job and a big shot to his credibility. FSU will pay, to the tune of $50-55 million, for its inability to recognize Norvell's main weakness.

​The Travis Hunter decable

Hunter, the top player in the 2022 recruiting class, was committed to FSU for over a year. The two-way star was born in West Palm Beach, played high school ball in Gwinnett County, Georgia and was going to be Norvell's first real recruiting splash. Hunter was a big Seminoles fan and seemed to be a lock...until he wasn't. 

What should have been a celebratory mid-December for the future of FSU football turned into a shocking disappointment as Hunter spurned FSU for Deion Sanders and Jackson State. Hunter would say that Sanders "really wanted him" and had a real plan for his success. 

And the worst part: Hunter, the 2024 Heisman Trophy winner, was right. He was better off with Prime, who understood his unique talents, over Norvell, who didn't understand how to get the most out of recruits.

Norvell was punked by Sanders on the national stage and at that moment he lost any respect he might've had on the trail. He looked like an amateur — a minnow swimming with sharks.

Valuing transactions over trust

Norvell's best recruiting tool was the transfer portal. In the early days, he was ahead of the game and found gems like Jermaine Johnson, Jared Verse, Johnny Willams and Trey Benson. But as the portal evolved, it became much more of a marketplace and less of a second-chance home. 

By this point, Norvell and personnel GM Darrick Wray were convinced the portal was the way to go, and the relationships became less personal and more transactional and less personal. That led to the 2024 transfer haul that included busts like Marvin Jones Jr. and DJ Uiagalelei. 

​Many of these players had no attachment to being at FSU or playing for Norvell, so as the season began to get away from the Seminoles, many players simply checked out. We've seen a repeat of that this season, as the energy levels and effort have dropped significantly from Week 1. 

Failure to adjust to the big time

Norvell was never known as a recruiter. He wasn't an SEC guy and instead cut his teeth under the learning tree of Todd Graham at places like Arizona State, Tulsa and Pitt. There's a reason why no one talks about the "Todd Graham coaching tree". Norvell is ill prepared to take on the challenge of recruiting at FSU.

For starters, Norvell did not go after the top guys. FSU is a top-guy program. It attracts blue-chippers and high school All-Americans because the Seminoles have a reputation for turning those high school All-Americans into NFL Draft picks.

Norvell wanted HIS guys — a little more under-the-radar, maybe a little more docile. The types of guys he won with at Memphis. He didn't recruit Florida as heavily as Bowden and Fisher, preferring to work in his favorite areas of Mississippi and Louisiana. 

Unfortunately, landing players from Louisiana that LSU wasn't interested in did not prove to be a path to success. Many of Norvell's recruits collected dust until they transferred elsewhere, while the head coach used the portal for the guys he really wanted to play.  Norvell generally ignored the top guys and, in turn, the top guys ignored FSU.

The next coach will have to re-establish that relationship.